DISTRIBUTION AND ALLOMETRY OF OLIGOCHAETES ON THE CARRIBEAN COASTS OF VENEZUELA.

Oligochaetes are relatively small, lengthened and cylindrical annelids that can live on land or in water. Those that live in water can live either in fresh or sea water, and are distributed mainly in the coastal and intertidal areas. They are often found in soils rich in organic matter, and they inhabit galleries in order to find protection from predators and from unfavorable climatic conditions. These annelids have a great ecological importance, since they allow the ventilation of soils, the penetration of water and the constant mixing of organic residue, thus contributing to the fertility of the ecosystem and the energy budget and some species of land oligochaetes are used as proteinic supplement in aquaculture. Before the oligochaetes can be successfully used for aquaculture, it is important to understand the ecology and population dynamics of this organisms. During 1995-1998, we studied the taxonomic, ecological, nutritional and allometric characteristics of coastal oligochaetes which are highly abundant in the coastal sediments in Araya Peninsula of Venezuela. In this poster we present results on the distribution, seasonality and allometric modeling of the coastal oligochaetes. We also discuss if these oligochaetes could be used as indicators of anthropogenic impacts on coastal habitats.